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I am seeing concerning posts on here
#60049 05/23/23 11:52 AM
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BFR Offline OP
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I don't want to single anyone out so I am rather just going to post this here. I have seen numerous postings in the last week or two from folks who are asking questions that are making me concerned that there are going to be a lot of bad accidents and disappointments this year. It may make sense to post a 2023 summer season FAQ in an effort to properly set expectations of what folks are getting themselves into.

Last edited by BFR; 05/23/23 11:53 AM.
Re: I am seeing concerning posts on here
BFR #60051 05/23/23 05:50 PM
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Nothing wrong with heading out with little experience as long as you are willing to call it a day and turn around when you reach the point where you should. The first time I did Whitney in an unexpectedly heavy snow year with no experience in that sort of thing, my attitude was "let just go and see how far we can get", with little expectation of making the summit. (We did not that year, but got farther that I would have thought)

Re: I am seeing concerning posts on here
BFR #60076 06/02/23 11:35 AM
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BFR - you are 100% right. I can imagine someone ascending the chute when it is soft, going up very slowly, and trying to come down the chute late when it is in shadows and hardpack or ice. Inexperienced people think having an ice axe and crampons means you can go anywhere safely as though possessing them was all you needed. Louie's comment about turning around is right on when applied to a person's physical limits, but inexperienced people have no idea how to evaluate the objective risks in an alpine environment and can go way past their safety limits with no idea how much risk they are exposing themselves to. Just look at the number of SoCal people who die on their local mountains from falls, exposure, and other easily avoidable tragedies.


JG
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Re: I am seeing concerning posts on here
OutdoorsFreak #60077 06/05/23 11:38 AM
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I'm probably one of these people....

Plenty of hiking/backpacking experience, but living on the East Coast, we don't have a lot of snow experience. Was planning to use my pass on the 17th of June and potentially attempting a summit, but y'all have me very concerned about the ice/snow now.

Tell me this- would navigation to Consultation lake be reasonably easy with tracks to follow? My research tells me we could evaluate the chute from there?

Re: I am seeing concerning posts on here
frankthevi #60078 06/05/23 12:59 PM
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You asking the right questions.

This is a very unusual year (as you know). There is one spot that could give you trouble on the way to Consultation Lake/Trail Camp, but it is an easy stroll from there to the bottom of the chute. The biggest risk is that things look kind-of-OK on the way up then turn bad on the way down. Really important factors would be air temp, wind, overnight low, daytime highs/lows, how fast you can move at high altitude (most people overestimate this), and your willingness to get a true Alpine start so that the Chute is softer (maybe) on the way down when you are tired and at greater risk.

If it is cold and windy, and below freezing temps, and if this was preceded by a previous warm period, this will make it icy, and you may not be safe.

Even experienced and knowledgeable guides can F-up with lethal consequences, as witnessed by this completely avoidable tragedy on Shasta.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwWGCfREbuk&ab_channel=LosAngelesTimes.

The Whitney Zone is incredibly beautiful - so go! The views are great from below and above. If you don't make it all the way up this year, you will still have a joyous trip, you will experience a Whitney Zone that few others ever get to, have a great story to tell, and gain knowledge/experience for the next trip (the mountain will always be there).

The summit is for the ego, the journey is for the soul!


JG
Re: I am seeing concerning posts on here
OutdoorsFreak #60079 06/05/23 06:16 PM
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Thanks for the reply and feedback. I have the time off work and my dad is retired so we'll at least go and hike until we feel we shouldn't. We have a pass for two nights- my idea was hike up to Consultation; gather our bearings, and maybe attempt a practice glissade, and generally just enjoy being there. If we make an attempt at the chute, we'll start early- 4am maybe?

How are temps around the lake this time of year? I imagine warm during the day and just above freezing at night...

After the Chute, assuming we get that far, what can we expect once you get to trail crest? How far ahead does the Chute spit you out from trail crest?

Re: I am seeing concerning posts on here
frankthevi #60083 06/06/23 09:29 AM
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Originally Posted by frankthevi
Thanks for the reply and feedback. I have the time off work and my dad is retired so we'll at least go and hike until we feel we shouldn't. We have a pass for two nights- my idea was hike up to Consultation; gather our bearings, and maybe attempt a practice glissade, and generally just enjoy being there. If we make an attempt at the chute, we'll start early- 4am maybe?

How are temps around the lake this time of year? I imagine warm during the day and just above freezing at night...

After the Chute, assuming we get that far, what can we expect once you get to trail crest? How far ahead does the Chute spit you out from trail crest?

The top of the Chute and the top of 99 switchbacks (Trail Crest) are pretty much the same place. I would say the hike from Trail Crest to the summit is deceiving and much harder than it looks. At Trail Crest it is easy think "the hard part is over" since it's just a couple relatively flat miles to the summit, but it will likely take you a lot longer than you think. I would say just make sure you are at Trail Crest early enough in the day so you can spend several hours getting from Trail Crest to the Summit and back to Trail Crest.

Re: I am seeing concerning posts on here
Louie #60086 06/06/23 11:28 PM
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Everyone should try to recognize the conditions like the one on Shasta (linked to above). Something similar happened on Whitney in 2018.
Link: Mt Whitney multiple injuries on 6/10/18

People hiked up toward Trail Crest, but it was so early that the surface was hard and icy. Three or Four people slipped and slid, out of control, to the bottom of the chute. Fortunately they didn't die, but they were badly injured.

Hiking up the chute (west of the switchbacks) can be dangerous -- early when it is cold and icy, ....or late in the afternoon when the shadow has reached the slope.

Re: I am seeing concerning posts on here
Steve C #60094 06/07/23 08:26 PM
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Conditions the day of your hike are really important. When I did it a number of years ago, I did not see anyone with ice axes or helmets. Hiking boots, trekking poles with rented crampons was pretty much what I saw everyone using. Even a guy with crampons strapped to tennis shoes. But it was really warm that day and had been for a while, so we were climbing in like a foot of slush which made it more forgiving I guess.

Re: I am seeing concerning posts on here
OutdoorsFreak #60132 06/23/23 04:09 PM
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Originally Posted by OutdoorsFreak
The Whitney Zone is incredibly beautiful - so go! The views are great from below and above. If you don't make it all the way up this year, you will still have a joyous trip, you will experience a Whitney Zone that few others ever get to, have a great story to tell, and gain knowledge/experience for the next trip (the mountain will always be there).

The summit is for the ego, the journey is for the soul!

Amen! The Lone Pine Creek drainage is one of the most splendid east-side canyons, with an abundance of gala cliffs. Thor Peak, from Bighorn Park, is what a fellow wants to see when he goes for on walk in the mountains.


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